[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 19, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H9142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REPUBLICAN MEDICARE PLAN IS CREDIBLE

  (Mr. EHLERS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, for the past several months we have had 
considerable discussion and debate on the floor of the House regarding 
Medicare, an extremely important program, particularly to the senior 
citizens of this Nation. I have been very disappointed in the debate 
that we have had.
  I come from an academic background where you concentrate on the facts 
and you discuss and debate based on those facts.
  One fact is uncontrovertible: The trustees of the Medicare Program 
have said it will be bankrupt in 7 years if the Congress does not do 
something about it, and the debate should focus on that. But it has 
been a very partisan debate. My disappointment is the other side of the 
aisle has not engaged in a serious debate on the facts.
  I turn to the Washington Post, scarcely a conservative paper, but 
they have written an objective editorial about what has happened in 
this debate in the past few months. This is what the Post has to say 
about the Democrats' Medi-scare campaign. These are actual quotes from 
the editorial, labeled Medigogues: ``Crummy stuff; demagoguery big-
time; scare talk; expostulation; it is irresponsible.'' On the 
Republican side, the Post has this to say: ``Congressional Republicans 
have confounded skeptics. It is credible. It is gutsy.''
  I think we should all listen to the Washington Post.

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